[Dialogue] MORE ON SINGING

[David & Lin Zahrt]

The Dialogue about singing—

I believe singing is an essential ingredient in community life. Some  
of you may recall 4 of us graced the presence of the 2000 Reunion in  
Vail with a Barbershop Quartet. I solicited and found 3 others who  
were ready, willing, and able to do so. We hadn’t given ourselves a  
name, and when we arrived at the Reunion we were asked what we should  
be called. We decided the name should be In-Transit.

Perhaps I’ve shared all of this with you before. In search of  
meaningful singing I had tried Barbershop singing in Sioux City.  
Finally I had to admit that it was too much ‘old-mood’. The Chorus  
even sang a lot of theological pablum.

Dick and Amelia Kroeger visited us several years ago. I shared our  
B&B alternative table blessing with them. 2 weeks later we received a  
book in the mail from them: A GRATEFUL HEART: Daily Blessings for the  
Evening Meal from Buddha to the Beatles. I digress and will come back  
to the book and its prayers.

Four voices in careful harmony with each other create 5 to 6 tones— 
the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. In an attempt to  
share this kind of harmony I have a vision of a quartet that is  
singing 20th Century metaphors about the demand to adopt a lifestyle  
in concert with our environment and our society; a lifestyle that is  
futuristically sustainable. The name I have in mind for the quartet  
is The Meta-Fours.

Because of the possibility of creating musical learning tapes the  
members of the quartet could do their practicing in 4 separate  
geographical locations. Once they had an engagement, they could meet  
in advance on-site and polish up their presentation.

My strong suit is the singing. I have a recording of my own quartet.  
When I was 63 I asked the quartet with whom I was singing to learn  
When I’m 64, so I could sing When I’m 64 when I’m 64. They refused to  
work at it. So I learned all 4 parts, went to a local recording  
studio, and put all four parts on a tape. The studio made me a tape  
of my qurtet. The problem is there isn’t much market for a one-man  
quartet.

My weak suit is poetry. I’ve been intrigued by Wayne and Tim’s  
capacity to wax poetic. Part of my problem may be the need to focus  
on specific issue or issues. Of late I’ve begun to realize that a  
topic very worthy of pursuit would be promoting peace—beginning with  
neighborhoods, moving to states, nations and the globe.

I return to A GRATEFUL HEART. One of my favorite prayers is found on  
page 22. It is adapted from the Week of Prayer for World Peace, 1978.

We pray for the power to be gentle; the strength to be forgiving; the  
patience to be understanding; and the endurance to accept the  
consequences to holding to what we believe to be right.

        May we put our trust in the power of good to overcome evil  
and the power of love to overcome hatred. We pray for the vision to  
see and the faith to believe in a world emancipated from violence, a  
new world where fear shall no longer lead men to commit injustice,  
nor selfishness make them bring suffering to others.

        Help us to devote our whole life and thought and energy to  
the task of making peace, praying always for the inspiration and the  
power to fulfill the destiny for which we were created.

I find this prayer inspiring and foundational. I remember Len Hockley  
requesting help to establish a Federal Cabinet post labeled  
Department of Peace. Maybe poeticizing this message is one of many  
ways to develop the foundation for this Department. Perhaps I should  
find out what part he sings.

The jist of this is to put the message into poetry, put it to popular  
and/or folk music, and start circulating the message. Then be  
prepared to sing where ever we can get engagements: climate change  
meetings; Blessed Unrest Assemblies; etc.

David

David & Lin Zahrt
Country Homestead B&B
22133 Larpenteur Rd.
Turin, IA 51040
-- Doorway to the Loess Hills -
<http://country-homestead.com>
Where a change of pace is as good as a vacation, and a sense of place  
is soothing to the soul.
<chbnb at netins.net>
Skype <loesshills>




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